David's Choice
by Pretty Extra
Summary: The world is such a diverse place full of other people's worlds. Tally's world is full of depression, longing but certainty for the future of which Shay's world lacks. David's world is the least certain of all, he never knows who will be coming into, leaving or what will happen in his world. But that's how he likes it, interesting is what he calls it...
1. Unexpected Visit

** Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Uglies, Pretties, Specials or Extras. I am not associated with (but really love the books of) Scott Westerfield. Thankyou Scott for the bubbly story!**

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I wake up to the sound of a distant helicopter as my father commanded me to get dressed to meet yet _another_ batch of runaways. I huff at him and sleep-dress, before I know it I'm shaking hands blindly with the under 16s when I come across a girl who I recognise and remember the finally fulfilled promise she made a long time ago.

"David!" Shay lets out a shrill scream, amplified by the fact that she strangle-hugs me with her mouth ear-splittingly close to my ear.

"Oh. Wow. It's you!" I tried to sound excited.

"I know! I've got some really exciting news for you!"

"Well save it for the journey, it's very long."

"Ok but I'm just so excited!"

I listen patiently to Shay who tells me that she had run away and left clues for some other girl called Tally to come if she decides to. Since there is nothing much left to say but a lot of walk left, I make small talk with Shay and the other runaways but Shay is dangerously flirty...


	2. Destiny

**Disclaimer: I do not own the plotline or characters of the Uglies series. That accelade goes to the amazing Scott Westerfield.**

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Shay grows on me over the next few days and weeks until I decide to clarify who's interested and how this is going to work.

"Shay," Her face lights up and the life that lack of food takes from her body concentrates into her eyes.

"What is it Dave?" She shuffles closer.

"Well...I don't really know how to say this...but...well...you seem to _like_ me..."

"Yes. I always have done! Ever since I saw how happy you were at seeing me here I knew there was a reason I came, like...destiny!"

My heart beats faster and faster. I try to speak but thanks to Shay my mouth is otherwise occupied.

...

The next morning we are inseparable and we spend the morning working in the forest when Shay pokes me and tells me she's sure she hears a helicopter. After a few minutes I can hear the steady whoosh of the wings on the ranger's craft.

"I'm sure it must be Tally! Can we go pleeeaaase? Can we can we can we?" Shay almost bursts with energy and seems as excited as if all the presents she ever got were added together and given to her at that precise moment.

"Well I was kind of hoping to stay here with you." Or in other words I really can't be bothered!

"We could go together and talk on the way. If we go on foot it will be much prettier! So happy-making!"

"Well, ok but we're gonna need to take a couple of other people with us to make up a welcome party."

We quickly set off and when we get within view of the pickup point Shay lets out an almighty, headache-inducing scream which echoes around the hills and she runs all the way to the top of the hill and nearly knocks over a girl who I can only presume is Tally.


	3. City Kid

**Disclaimer: I did not make up nor help the wonderful Scott Westerfield to invent tha story or characters of the Uglies series.**

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On the ride home Shay is constantly talking to Tally as if, now she's here, I'm a distant memory, a forgotten cause. If I manage a word in edgeways, it's due to Tally reminding my girlfriend that I exist! So I give up.

Shay and I show Tally around the Smoke and watching Tally's squinty eyes widen more than would seem possible while she gasps and asks us how we could possibly chop down trees so I tell her "With an axe!". She laughs in good humour but is drowned out by Shay.

"How _could _you be so insensitive?"

"Really it's" Tally starts

"No it's NOT! Come on Tally!" Shay drags her friend Tally away and I follow at a distance to give Shay a minute to cool off.

Tally keenly asks questions, as if trying to soak up our strange way of life through my words. She has a fair few stories of her own; she was nearly killed twice with burn marks and bruises to prove it. I decide to leave Shay and Tally to talk city wondering why girls seem to feel the need to take so long saying so little about something so unimportant.

I use the free time alone in the forest thinking over the day's events.


	4. Gloves

**Disclaimer: Although I would love to say I was the genius behind Uglies, sadly, I'm not. :(**

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I wake up to the movement of my arm and peek to see Tally trying (and failing) to manoeuvre her face out from under my hand without waking me. I wait until she leaves the room before getting up, sneaking out of the other door and getting ready for work.

After hurrying through breakfast, I watch Tally get to grips with work. Her abysmal attempt at manual labour rewarded her with huge blisters on her polished hands so I give her something to help which is too small for me now.

...

Shay bursts into the courtyard where she knew I was alone and screams "How could you?"

I see the tears on her face and ask "What's wrong Shay, is it...erm...Shay-la?"

"Don't 'Shay-la' me! You kn-know what! Look at my hands!" She shows me her blister ridden hands which look just like Tally's after all the extra work Shay volunteers for.

"Wow! You really shouldn't-"

"Shouldn't what? Trust you, care about you, _love you_?"

"Wait, is this about the gloves?"

"Wow. I thought you were the smart one! Evidently not! I can't believe you love her more than me! I thought you liked me too! You were my boyfriend!"

"Well how do you think I feel? You only realise I exist so you can accuse me! At least Tally had the decency to talk to me!" She looks like I almost knocked her out.

"I'm s-s-s" She is over come by violent sobs.

I pull her close into a hug and she calms down.

"I'm sorry for doubting you."

"I'm sorry too. If I'd known how bad your hands were you would have those gloves right now. It seems so silly to fall out over some old gloves."

"I guess so." She kisses me on the cheek.


	5. Mum & Dad

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to the Uglies series or characters and am only associated with them by my love of the books :)**

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Shay has been talking about taking me to see her city. She still doesn't know about my origins and I decide it's time for her to see my parents. As we walk up to the cave where they live, Shay's curiosity gets the better of her.

"How come they don't live in the Smoke with you?"

"Well...it's kinda complicated. I'll let them tell you all about it 'cos I'd probably get it wrong."

"Oh-kaay. So...what do I call them?"

"Just Maddy and Az. Did you know they used to be doctors in the same city as you before they came here and I was born."

"You were born in the _wild_?!" Shay looks almost disgusted at the idea.

"Yep. Never seen a city in my life!" Her eyes widened like a ranger's and I couldn't help laughing as we ducked to get into the house.

"Mum! Dad! It's me and Shay!" I peer around the door

"Oh! Well don't just stand outside, come in!" Mum smiles.

As we reach the living room Shay gasps. "What is it Shay-la?"

"You all look so...similar!"

Dad and I laugh but Mum speaks in a voice that sounds more patronising than intended. "You do _know _about genetics...don't you?"

"Yes but being told about it and then actually seeing it is just..."

Mum sighs "Well you never see your parents' faces do you?"

"Yes we do!" Shay answers what wasn't meant to be a question.

"No Shay, what Maddy means is you never see their real faces, before they turn Pretty." Dad explains helpfully.

"So Mum and Dad really used to look like me?"

"Yes, when they were your age." Mum speaks more kindly this time.

"Wow!"

I offer Shay some tea and she contorts her face in disgust. Dad looks concerned as he asks her what's wrong with it so I'm guessing he made the tea.

"What _is _this stuff?"

"It's just tea, have you never drank tea before?" I ask and start to wonder what's wrong with her city (aside from the obvious) as only the runaways from there ever ask such a basic question.

"Eurgh, no! It's a crumbly drink! Oh! I'm sorry...I meant that...it's just..."

"That's perfectly alright, you should have seen one of the other kid's faces when I gave him an apple!" Dad says.

"A what?!"

"Never mind." Dad laughs and Mum sighs.

Mum puts on a serious face as she adds sugar and milk into Shay's tea and tells her that it would taste better that way. "Now, down to business, I take it David told you why he brought you here."

Shay turns to me and I have to admit that I didn't.

"Well then, let's start from the beginning. You see how similar Az and I are to David, the operation takes away all that and more."

"Did David say we used to be doctors?" Dad asks.

"Really?" Mum throws me a disapproving look.

"Yes," He carries on "I hear you come from the same city as us too. We may have ended up turning you Pretty if we had stayed."

"So how come you left?"

"Well, it all started when we met. Maddy had just started work in the Committee for Morphological Standards and-"

"That is so bubbly! You were in the Pretty Committee!" Shay butts in.

"Yes." Mum smiles.

"And I" Dad continues "was researching safety."

"What for?"

"Well a couple of people die from the anaesthesia each year so I-"

"What is it Shay?" She almost looks as if... "Wait! Don't they tell you?"

"No!"

"Urgh. I feel sick. I can't believe whoever runs this 'Pretty thing' just decided it was ok to force people into an operation where they could _die_ without so much as asking their permission!"


	6. Pretty Minded

"When I was researching, I looked into brain scans to find a pattern I noticed that nearly all of the scans had lesions in the same place of their brain." Dad was being a typical doctor and after seeing Shay's look of confusion he explained. "Lesions are things that shouldn't be there like cancer."

"Then he showed them to me and we both looked over them together. We looked over some other scans and found that 99% of all Pretties had the same lesions." Mum carried on with the story. "We looked at the negatives, that is to say the scans of Pretties without lesions and there was only one thing in common. Not age, gender, height, weight or city but job."

"Job?" Shay asked.

" Yes. They were all fire fighters, government officials and, thankfully, doctors." Dad tried to smile.

"Jobs under pressure." Shay muttered under her breath.

"Yes!" Mum was impressed "You're a very intelligent young lady, Shay."

She blushed and asked if rangers would have the lesions.

"I don't think so." Dad said.

"So these lesions," Shay turned to him "they affect your reactions, right?"

"We can't say for certain...well, we have many theories...that is to say we think that..." Mum was reluctant to speak so I stepped in.

"You know what the world was like before, with all the Rusties fighting and stuff?" I waited for Shay to nod "Well how come Pretties don't? How come Uglies that were enemies can live in harmony when they turn 16? What if they can't fight?"

"Like forcing you to be happy? That isn't so bad."

"Forcing you to be happy," Dad spoke in a hollow voice "forcing you to follow rules, brainwashing you to live in a bubble where your worst nightmare is not having enough to wear."

"Is-is there a cure?"

"There must be. All of the negatives were new Pretties once. It could be an injection, a pill, another operation... we are working on it but so far...nothing. We didn't know how important our discovery was until Dr Cable gave us a visit and by then, it was too late." Mum put on a grave face.

"Who's she?"

"She," Dad answered "is head of Special Circumstances."

"Wow! I thought they were just stories!"

"Well they aren't and they wanted us to forget what we knew or face the consequences."

"So you left."

"So we left."

"How come you're not...not..." Shay pointed to her face.

"Pretty?" Mum took her turn to speak. "Well you will have heard that they shave off some of the bones in your face and replace them with plastic to change the shape." Shay nodded "Well when they turn you from New Pretty to Middle Pretty all they have to do is add a trigger chemical to make the plastic mushy so they can remould it."

"Ew!"

"I know." I said with a shudder.

"If you take a regulated dose then the plastic is absorbed into the body. It isn't exactly the same but it's as close as we can get." Dad points to his face.

"So you're just an old Ugly."

"Well we still have the non-cosmetic changes like strong bones, immunity to disease, perfect eyes and perfect teeth," Dad grinned to show his off "but essentially, yes. We're just big old Uglies."

Shay tries to smile but starts to shiver.

"I know it's a lot to take in." I hug her "But I couldn't let you go back to the city without knowing."

Shay hugs me back but stays silent. It's a good job he didn't because otherwise, we wouldn't have heard the hovercars...


	7. My Last Thought

**Disclaimer: I do not own, or claim to own any of the characters, plots or stories of the amazing Scott Westerfield and am not associated with him or his publisher(s)**

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We rush out of the cave to a devastating scene. The fire is already spreading towards us and my first reaction is to scream. I stay strong for Shay.

Dad disappears and comes back with four hoverboards in tow. He thrusts a crash bracelet into each of our hands. Luckily we are above a twisting, misleading trail of iron to the Smoke.

I can't breathe. My home is nothing more than rubble.

"H-how could this have hap-" Shay breaks off and I follows her gaze... "Tally! Wh-who's that?"

"Dr Cable!" Dad speaks through gritted teeth and I fix my eyes upon a cruel, thin, pointed face I heard so much about in my youth. She's worse than anything could have prepared me for. I feel sick.

She is talking and...is she _laughing_ with Tally?! Without warning, Tally pulls out something from her pocket, a stun gun

I am hit first and as my body crumples I turn my eyes to my family. First Shay, then Mum, then Dad fall as well and I try to cry out to them but as I blink, I open my eyes screaming in a sterilised white room.

"It's OK baby, I'm here." A smooth, thick-lipped and not-quite-human face came into view.

"Who are you?"

"It's me, silly! Shay-la!"

"What have they done to your face?!" I sit bolt upright, surveying the room. I spot a door and walk off before she answers. I know what she was going to say and hearing it out lout would only make it more official, as if it could still be a dream if I don't let myself listen.

"Oh hey Dave." I gasp in horror. Mum and Dad are Pretty again.

I dart for the next door and find it locked. I have given up hope and as I slide to the floor a thought creeps into my mind and threatens to take over.

"Get me a mirror." My voice sounds hollow.

"What's wrong dearie?" Mum asks me, her plastic forehead has lost the wrinkles she used to have when she was confused.

"GET ME A MIRROR!" I start to cry and as I look around, I see a single metal tile in a sea of whitewashed walls. I crawl over and drag my eyes level with the tile.

Fainting hurts.

The thought, the one thought that ripped away my consciousness was 'I am Pretty'


End file.
